FORT WORTH, Texas -- After her record-breaking season ended in the Elite Eight on Sunday, Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo talked about all she hopes to do in 2026-27 as a senior.
"This year, I wasn't the type of leader I always was before," Hidalgo said after the 70-52 loss to overall No. 1 seed UConn. "Going back to when I was in high school, I was just trash-talking. That's how I tried to pull the best out of my teammates. Now, I know I have to figure out each and every one of my teammates individually and be very intentional in connecting with them. I need to keep doing that.
"And there's so many areas of growth left for me on the court. Just working on creating space, being able to finish over taller players. And then in the WNBA, they're all bigger, they're stronger, they're more athletic, they're more talented. So it's about upping my game, just trying to prepare as much as I can. Building my muscle, getting stronger."
Hidalgo is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2027 WNBA draft. What she did this season as a junior only solidified that. In Friday's Sweet 16 win over Vanderbilt, Hidalgo had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals, breaking NCAA records for steals in a season and in the tournament.
Sunday against the Huskies, she had 22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals while playing all 40 minutes. She finished the season with 909 points, breaking the ACC single-season record of 908 set by Clemson senior Barbara Kennedy in 1981-82. That was the first year the NCAA took over sponsorship of women's sports.
Hidalgo finished the season averaging 25.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists while compiling 202 steals, 29 of those coming in the NCAA tournament. She led the Irish in points, rebounds, assists and steals in all four tournament games.
"The biggest separator for her was her maturity," Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said of Hidalgo's junior season. "I think you're going to see her being even more poised, have more composure. We're going to work on that this summer as far as continuing to build that trust with a brand-new team.
"Hannah's had that year under her belt, so she knows what to say, she knows how to push her team. Like she mentioned, she learned how to connect and learn each person on and off the court. That was new for her."
Hidalgo now has three games against UConn with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, just the fourth player since 2000 to do that. After Sunday's contest, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said he thought Hidalgo was the best point guard in women's college basketball right now.
"It's rare that you find a player that is involved in every single play," Auriemma said. "To the point where, whoever she's guarding, you have to go hide them someplace hoping that she's not involved in that play. And she still manages to be involved in the play somehow. "So not only offensively can she get wherever she wants to go, get any shot she wants, but defensively she probably causes more problems for your offense than any player in the country.
"I asked her after the game if she was old enough to go pro. And she said, 'No, I want one more shot at you guys.'"
